


Choking On Flowers

by stratusdreams



Category: Blood (Video Game)
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, Mild Blood, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28105548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratusdreams/pseuds/stratusdreams
Summary: You remind me of better times, dusty blindsThis happens all the time,this happens all the timeCaleb must face his feelings for Millie, whether he wants to or not.
Relationships: Caleb/Self Insert
Kudos: 2





	Choking On Flowers

Caleb watched as Millie cut vegetables at the counter. He liked watching them work, their short but dainty fingers so skilled with a knife. They had their hair tied back in two pigtails that fell over their shoulders, right over their collarbones. He wanted so badly to touch the soft brunette locks. He found himself daydreaming of caressing a strand between his forefinger and thumb; perhaps he'd kiss them softly, feel their eyelashes flutter against his skin, cradle them in his arms and keep them close.

He coughed then, causing Millie to turn around. "You okay? Need some water?"

"I'll be fine, pup, don't worry," he replied. As he spoke, it felt like something was caught in the back of his throat. "Actually -- I'll take some water." 

Millie smiled gently and handed him a glass. Their bright gray-green eyes were lovely in the dim lighting of the kitchen as they returned to the soup, tossing the vegetables in. “It’ll be done in a few minutes -- sorry, I know you’re starving, Cal.”

Caleb's attention turned to the wintery sky outside. Snow fell from fluffy gray clouds, and though it was dreary and cold outdoors, he felt warm. Millie was there, fixing stew and wearing a lavender sweater, humming to themself as they cooked. 

Caleb coughed again, and felt something on the back of his tongue. He quickly excused himself and went to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him lest Millie worry. As soon as he was over the sink, Caleb sputtered, and something soft and bloodstained fell from his lips into the bowl. He wiped a stray speck of blood from his mouth and stared, dumbfounded, into the sink.

  
It was a flower petal. 

Caleb picked it up and set it in his hand, examining it closely. _A gardenia petal_ , he realized. He could recognize the sweet scent anywhere, anytime. His mother loved them and always planted them in her garden; Caleb had spent his youth traipsing in her flowerbeds and sniffing each flower with the reverence of a priest worshipping at the altar. He pushed the thoughts away and wrapped the flower petal in a piece of toilet paper and threw it in the trash can before exiting the bathroom. It unnerved him, sure, but he thought maybe he’d swallowed one by accident somewhere, and that would be the end of it.

“Are you alright?” Millie asked gently as he sat back down at the table.

“Ah… just a lil’ nosebleed. I’m okay. I promise.”

“Good.” They smiled sweetly, setting a bowl of soup down in front of him. “Eat up, Cal!” They ruffled his hair before sitting down across from him, and Caleb felt safe and loved like he’d never felt before.

\---

A week later, Caleb was coughing up several petals at a time. 

He spent hours huddled in front of the toilet. The taste of blood was omnipresent at the back of his throat as petals emerged from his lungs. He found it harder and harder to breathe; Caleb thought an entire garden might be growing in his ribs. 

He avoided Millie. He didn’t want to worry them -- they overthought everything, and he didn’t want them making themself sick on his account. Millie had been texting him nonstop. He simply said he had the flu, and didn’t want to give it to them.

Caleb had considered going to the doctor, but what would he even tell a medical professional? _I spent time with the person I’m in love with and now I’m throwing up gardenia petals?_ It sounded insane, and no one would ever believe him. 

His phone buzzed. 

**Millie ♡** : Hey Cal. How are you?

**Caleb** : I’m fine. Just under the weather. Don’t worry about me.

**Millie ♡** : Want me to bring you some soup?

**Millie ♡** : I’m worried about you.

**Caleb** : Don’t come around. Please. Leave me alone.

He threw his phone down and grimaced as a coughing fit wracked his body. Chunks of once-pristine white petals, now soaked in blood, fell to the floor. It wasn’t just single petals, or even three or four at a time like just before; his condition was worsening. Caleb’s chest rattled as his breathing steadied. “Fuck,” he mumbled, tears pricking his eyes. “Goddamn it…” He ran a hand through his choppy chocolate brown locks, pulling them away from his bloodied chin. He thought of Millie, and how he wished they were there to help him.

**Millie ♡** : I’m sorry. I’ll let you be.

**Millie ♡** : text me if you need me. I’m sorry.

His unfocused eyes barely caught the messages. Caleb cursed himself for being cruel toward Millie when they were simply expressing worry over him. 

He stumbled to his feet and managed to grab a pillow and blanket from his bedroom. Caleb laid on the bathroom floor, sputtering and choking on flowers until he finally managed to find sleep.

\---

Caleb was awoken by loud knocking on his door early in the morning. His neck was sore, and his side ached from laying on the cold linoleum floor. A hot copper taste filled his throat and mouth; he staggered to the sink and opened his mouth, blood and petals pooling from his jaw. How he hadn’t choked to death in his sleep was a miracle. 

He heard the door open, and Millie called to him. “Cal?” Their voice was soft and tinged with pain. They must’ve used the spare key under the doormat -- he’d mentioned it to them before, after all. Caleb winced, buckling over the sink and spitting blood into it. “Cal, I’m sorry, I just -- I’m scared for you.”

He heard them begin to approach the bathroom, and he shut the door quickly. “Cal!” they cried, trying the knob. “Please… let me in…”

“Just…” Caleb didn’t even know what he was trying to say. Blood loss and little to no sleep left him delirious. 

He could vaguely hear Millie sniffle and lean their head against the door. “Let me in, Cal. Let me help you, okay?” Caleb couldn’t stand to hear them weep because of him, so he unlocked the door, and they opened it carefully.

Millie gasped in horror. “Jesus fuck, Caleb, are you okay?” They cupped his stubbled face in their tiny hands. Caleb collapsed into their touch, falling to the bathroom floor on his knees. Millie followed and cradled him close. “We have to get you to the hospital, Cal -- they can fix this. You’ll be okay.” Tears brimmed in their gray-green eyes as they wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Mil…” Caleb spat petals onto the ground, and Millie shrieked. He could feel his consciousness slipping as Millie held him. “I’m so sorry, pup…” 

“You can’t give up on me! Please, Cal, just stand up, I’ll take you to the hospital, I can still save you…” When he coughed again, Millie burst into tears. “Please… don’t leave me… I can’t imagine my life without you, Cal. _I love you_.”

Caleb’s eyes shot open, and he drew a deep breath, his lungs suddenly free of any obstruction. He pulled back from Millie, staring at them in shock. “You love me?”

“Are you okay? You’re not--”

“You love me?” he repeated, his voice barely audible.

Millie stared at him earnestly. “Of course I do,” they said softly. “I’ve always loved you.”

He gazed at them for a moment before caressing their cheek in one hand and pulling them close with the other. He kissed them, and Caleb could practically feel the roots in his lungs completely and totally subside. The petal stuck in his throat faded, and strength returned to his formerly feeble body. He could feel his warm tears mixing with Millie’s own as time fell away, nothing in the world mattering except Caleb and Millie and their kiss. 

  
Finally, he pulled back, pressing his forehead to theirs. “Oh, Millie,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Are you alright now? I don’t… I don’t understand…” They examined the dry blood at his lip, brushing it away with their thumb.

  
“I think so.” Caleb drew another deep breath. “Guess all I needed was your touch,” he mumbled, chuckling more to himself than them. “I’m sorry I snapped at ya yesterday, pup. I was scared, too.”  
  


“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Millie embraced him, pressing their face into his neck. “You can always come to me with anything, Cal.” They paused. “I wanna protect you, too, you know.”

“I know.” Caleb kissed the top of their head, and that familiar, soft warmth bloomed in his chest. His heart was safe with Millie, and it always would be. 


End file.
